Utah prosecutors have offered the clearest indication yet of what motivated Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspected of killing far-right activist Charlie Kirk. In text messages reproduced by prosecutors as they charged Robinson with capital murder, he is quoted telling his partner – described as “transitioning genders” – that he had had enough of Kirk’s “hatred”.
“Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” Robinson wrote to his partner of Kirk, who was killed during an event at Utah Valley University (UVU) shortly after claiming that “too many” transgender people had committed mass shootings in the US. In reality, according to the non-partisan Gun Violence Archive, only about 0.1% of such shootings over the past decade had allegedly been carried out by transgender people.
Prosecutors say Robinson’s mother told investigators that her son had become “more political” over the previous year, leaning left and becoming more supportive of gay and transgender rights. This led to disputes with family, especially his father, who Robinson described in a text as “pretty diehard MAGA” – referring to Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan. His mother also recounted that Robinson had called Kirk’s UVU event a “stupid venue” and accused Kirk of “spreading hate”.
Robinson’s parents told investigators they began to suspect their son after seeing a surveillance image of the shooter. His father, a licensed hunter, feared the rifle used in the killing matched one he had given his son as a gift. In a subsequent phone call, Robinson reportedly told his father there is “too much evil” and that Kirk “spreads too much hate”. Robinson later surrendered with the help of a family friend who was a local law enforcement official.
Prosecutors said DNA evidence on the discarded rifle and text messages to a roommate further tied Robinson to the slaying. The texts also dismissed engravings found on bullet casings – including “hey fascist” and “bella ciao”, a lyric from an Italian anti-fascist resistance song – as “mostly a big meme”. In one exchange, the roommate asked, “You weren’t the one who did it right?” Robinson replied, “I am, I’m sorry,” adding that he had hoped to “keep this secret till I died of old age”.
Robinson faces an aggravated murder charge, with prosecutors saying they intend to seek the death penalty if he is convicted. He remains in custody without bond.
